Embodiments presented herein generally relate to text analysis, and more specifically, to validating user-provided text feedback entered in response to a questionnaire (e.g., online form, survey, quiz, etc.).
Many companies solicit feedback from users (e.g., customers, clients, and the like) using online forms and surveys. Such surveys often ask users to provide descriptive information in response to a question in a text box. Text boxes provide users with considerable latitude for responding to the question, compared to other user interface elements, such as a check box or radio button. For example, a survey may prompt a user to comment about various topics of a customer service experience, such as staff politeness and effectiveness. The survey may ask the user to rate each topic based on performance, e.g., using a number scale. The survey may also allow the user to comment about the rating using a text box. Companies may read the user-provided feedback to determine areas that are excelling and areas that require improvement.
However, to be meaningful, the user-provided feedback should have at least some relevance to a question being posed. For example, a cable service exit survey may ask a user why the user is cancelling a cable television subscription. In some cases a user might not want to answer the question (e.g., due to inconvenience, lack of interest, etc.) but may be nonetheless required to answer the question to progress through the survey. In such a case, the user might enter irrelevant feedback (e.g., a random string of letters, non sequiturs, etc.). As a result, the cable company does not receive any useful information from the feedback. Further, in some cases, a high volume of surveys submitted to a company presents a challenge for obtaining useful information from surveys, particularly where a reviewer must wade through large numbers of irrelevant responses.